First Time for Everything

Radiant Church Juneau celebrated her first Easter Service this past weekend. In some ways it was not unlike Easter weekends in years past.

I got up out of bed on Sunday at 5am to be out the door by 6am. I bet every pastor I know did the same thing. (Easter is hardly a day of rest for church leaders; a good day for sure, but not necessarily restful.) I also had my sermon ready, and was devoted to prayer through the previous week (again, not unique to me.)

But there were also departures from previous years. I was out of bed and out the door early to secure a covered picnic site at Auke Recreation. I jumped right in behind a church finishing up their sunrise service, and inherited their remaining firewood. Knowing our own event didn't start until 2pm, I ended up having my own extended sunrise service. As it was, God decided to decorate His day in spectacular fashion. We live in a rain forest, and rain was predicted, but the day was glorious. I watched little Pacific porpoises feeding near the shoreline at low tide. I had conversations with several kids I know from the high school as they passed by on beach walks with their families. I tended the fire. I thought about the resurrection, and thanked God for that event and my resultant justification in His eyes.

Our folks showed up at 2:00 or before. Everyone brought food, a bounty I don't think I've ever seen for an Easter feast. Our Radiant Church people showed up to serve the others, and the others came to think about something other than State politics.

We had several from-out-of-town legislators and their staff people join us. We're learning how to serve them, how to be their church family when they are away from their own church families. We are learning how important it is to protect them, to resist the temptation to drop their names or tag them in Facebook photos. They're all regular people. They just have a lot on their minds. We're learning to love them, include them, and invite Jesus into every conversation.

Together we feasted, we sang all of those triumphant Easter anthems (we could remember) and I preached. And we had a great time. It felt like an extended family gathering. I cannot remember an Easter Sunday I have ever enjoyed more than this.

It was our church's first Easter as a church. Someday we will fondly look back at how relaxed, how organic and unstructured it was. And we did take photos...which we'll archive for ourselves to protect the elected.